Wayne Hotel

**Lowell** · September-12-10, 08:30 AM

This question arrived in the email bag this morning. Any insight from our resident sleuths?

"Hi,I've just recently come on to this site while searching family ancestry. My great-grandfather settled from England to Detroit and I have located in the U.S. Cities Directory for Detroit that he lived at 146 and later at 172 Porter [[7th at 135). In addition, he worked as a cook at the Wayne Hotel [[known dates from 1893-1895. I was searching for images of this hotel, but as of yet no luck. Would you be able to provide any guidance on where I can view 172 Porter and also the Wayne Hotel?

I live in the UK now, and at some point want to come to Detroit to do some more records search. Any help you can provide would be great.

Thank you."

**Hornwrecker** · September-12-10, 08:54 AM

Wayne Hotel, 3rd St at the river, across the street from the Michigan Central station.

Photos from http://rs6.loc.gov/detroit/dethome.html

**Lowell** · September-12-10, 08:56 AM

24 minutes... What took you so long Hornwrecker?? LOL

Charming hotel. Any idea what the interesting open-air pavilion in the top picture was about?

**Hornwrecker** · September-12-10, 09:09 AM

The pavilion was attached to the hotel, used for warm weather dining and roller skating, I believe. There are photos of it on the Burton site and at the LOC. Also browsing Detroit River photos will yield some different angles.

The Wayne Hotel was also home to the first Detroit Auto Show, photo somewhere on this site, maybe the OCF thread.

**canuck** · September-12-10, 09:14 AM

Yes, 24 minutes does sound a bit long, let's ask the concierge if we can hire better staff, Lowell.

**dspeight** · September-12-10, 10:24 AM

Thanks Hornwrecker for posting those photos. It means a lot to our family. We always knew that we had a Detroit connection [[my Nana was born there in 1899 as well), but didn't think too much of it because after my great-grandmother died of tuberculosis in 1901, my GGfather took the family to Philadelphia, which is what we considered our connection. But after seeing these photos, I am determined to learn more.

We saw a documentary here on BBC 3 called "Requiem for Detroit," which was sad, but very well done. Also, there was a good article in the Guardian newspaper, which you may find of interest.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/...-urban-decline

**Hornwrecker** · September-12-10, 10:52 AM

172 Porter [[now 1318 since renumbering) was a single story wood house in the 1889 and 1921 Sanborn maps. It now is a vacant lot.

Googgle Maps 1318 Porter

1910? Auto Show, Wayne Hotel
Attachment 7362

**dspeight** · September-12-10, 11:25 AM

Wow, still amazed at all these visuals--thanks. Is the Wayne Hotel still standing or has it alas, been demolished like so many other icons?

**Hornwrecker** · September-12-10, 11:44 AM

I'm not sure when the Wayne Hotel was demolished. Looking over some old photos, it was gone by the time the Civic Center/Cobo Hall constructions started in the late 1950s. Joe Louis Arena now stands over the area where the hotel once stood.

**dspeight** · September-12-10, 01:01 PM

Can't thank you enough for all the info. Are you native to Detroit? When we come back to the US on one of our visits, we are definitely gonna have to come and see this for ourselves. Where is the vital statistics office located these days. Does Wayne County have a new county building where these are kept? Apparently, my great grandfather had a brother who came over and worked for Ford. Where would I have to go for employment records? If memory serves me correctly, they have their own archive library.

**Whitehouse** · September-12-10, 03:31 PM

Did the photographer picture his camera on the bottom?

Christ! I love Google. check this out.

Better view of the waterside pavillion. This is a location worth investigating.

And there you have it. Razed in 1931.\ I suppose the hotel stood where the railyard east of the Ambassador Bridge is now.

Originally Posted by Hornwrecker

Wayne Hotel, 3rd St at the river, across the street from the Michigan Central station.

That can't be right. That about where the Joe Lewis Arena is located.

Originally Posted by dspeight

We saw a documentary here on BBC 3 called "Requiem for Detroit," which was sad, but very well done. Also, there was a good article in the Guardian newspaper, which you may find of interest.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/...-urban-decline

Boy! Did you land in the right place. "Requiem for Detroit" was discussed here.

**buildingsofdetroit** · September-12-10, 06:27 PM

It was on Third Street, just south of Fort, across from the old Michigan Central Railroad Depot [[http://buildingsofdetroit.com/places/mcrr) that was replaced by the abandoned Michigan Central Station we all know and love today.
MOST of the hotel came down in 1931, but I have newspaper clippings talking about the last of the hotel coming down for Cobo.
I wrote a little about the Wayne, its pavilion and the D&C steamers in my history of the City of Detroit III [[http://buildingsofdetroit.com/places/diii). Just search for "Wayne."

**buildingsofdetroit** · September-12-10, 06:29 PM

Some more postcards and fotos from the BuildingsofDetroit.com archives:
Postcards:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...nepavilion.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ards/wayne.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/waynepav.jpg

Photos:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ngs/wayne3.jpg [[from Library of Congress)
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ings/wayne.jpg [[demolition)

**Magnatomicflux** · September-13-10, 02:47 AM

So, this is it here with the large D&C steamer [[CODIII ?) docked on an angle?

Attachment 7365

Seems like only the dock and pavillion exist in this photo....or that "new mineral bathouse" in in the process of being dismantled.
Would that be right?

**Hornwrecker** · September-13-10, 10:38 AM

The 1921 Sanborn map shows the Hotel closed and now called the Railway Exchange Bldg. The Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Co occupies the whole of the pavilion. The Wayne Bath House is still standing, but occupancy unknown, so far.

Attachment 7367

The 1884 Sanborn shows a 4 story Cass Hotel at 3rd and W Woodbridge [[Jefferson on 1921 map).

Detroit in History and Commerce, Wayne Hotel pages 91-92 [[Google Books)

**dspeight** · September-13-10, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by buildingsofdetroit

Some more postcards and fotos from the BuildingsofDetroit.com archives:
Postcards:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...nepavilion.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ards/wayne.jpg
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...s/waynepav.jpg

Photos:
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ngs/wayne3.jpg [[from Library of Congress)
http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/c...ings/wayne.jpg [[demolition)

Those images are amazing--it is only recently that I've learned about my great-grandfather's life in Detroit. This part of my family has always been a mystery and now it has come to life.

**dspeight** · September-13-10, 02:54 PM

Good article. I am curious to know if ships of immigrants came into port. Or would it be more likely if migration from England would the ship come into New York, and then by land to Detroit. I'm trying to figure out how my ancestor went from England in 1884 to Detroit. Still working on that one.

**dspeight** · September-13-10, 03:00 PM

Better view of the waterside pavillion. This is a location worth investigating.

How so??

**Hornwrecker** · September-13-10, 03:01 PM

Attachment 7391

1909 The Detroit Pathfinder ad

**Mikeg** · September-13-10, 03:26 PM

1913 Detroit City Directory advertisement:

Attachment 7392

**mikefmich** · September-13-10, 03:35 PM

I'm seriously impressed with you guys.

**gnome** · September-13-10, 03:50 PM

dspeight, doubtful that your ancestor came by ship straight from England in 1884. The St. Lawerence Seaway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lawrence_Seaway didn't open until almost eighty yrs later. While there was the Welland Canal opened in 1862, it was/is limited in size and not made for ocean going ships - even 1884 ships.

You need to look at the 1900 census for Michigan, there you will find a ton of data you may not have. Specifically, it will tell you when your g-grandfather came to the US. He might have first arrived in Canada before coming here. Thousands of Canandian/ English/Scotts/Irish flooded into Detroit around the turn of the last century. And there are many folks here who still have family on both sides of the border, this truth might be why we used to have such a friendly relationship with Windsor, Ontario. Crossing once was no big deal, September 11, changed all that.

Other ideas would be NY or Philly as point of landing. Sounds like he had some connection to Philly considering he retreated there after his wife's untimely demise.

So I'd first start with 1900census, and head backwards. Sorry but the 1890 census was burned in a fire at the Commerce Building in Washington DC and no full copies exist.

**dspeight** · September-13-10, 05:46 PM

Thanks gnome for all the helpful guidance. Yeah, it's a real shame about the 1890 census as that would have given me a wealth of info. Luckily, through the Mormons, I found their marriage certificate 3 May 1892, Wayne County. He may have come in through Canada. If I knew which port from England he sailed from that could prove helpful as well. The other angle is if I can find any info about his brother [[who came across with him and ultimately worked for Ford), it could lead me to more information. My great-grandmother was full-blooded Irish [[don't know which side of the Atlantic she was born) from Canada. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to go on except her year of birth, death, cause of death [[TB), and her name Margaret Dyne or Dine. I haven't looked through the Michigan census. Is that something available online?

Ironically, I'm in the process of studying for my Life in the UK test. My spousal visa expires the end of this year and in order for me to get my ILR [[indefinite leave to remain) status, I need to pass this. Funny, how things work out. My ggf began a new life when he went to the States, and I began a life by coming to the UK!